Salaries are rising for professionals such as trial attorneys and litigation personnel. But legal staff today often prioritize flexible work options as much as pay hikes. This presents an opportunity for some employers: Those unable to offer top-end salaries might be able to attract talent by offering remote or hybrid work options. The enormous amounts of data and documents law firms and legal departments must manage has prompted greater integration of AI into areas such as compliance monitoring, legal research and eDiscovery. 52% of managers at law firms and 66% at legal departments have shifted the skills they seek based on advancements in AI and automation.
Salary and Hiring Trends in Legal
Compliance, privacy drive in-house hiring
Corporate legal teams seek compliance and data privacy professionals to navigate evolving regulations, mitigate risks, protect sensitive data and improve operational efficiency for the company. Organizations also want to hire candidates to support risk management, business continuity and governance efforts.As legal departments evolve, so do talent needs
Law firms seek litigation support, trial attorneys
Many law firms need more discovery, trial preparation and litigation support professionals, due in part to tight deadlines as courts continue to push through case backlogs. This places trial attorneys, legal assistants and paralegals in high demand.Learn more about the demand for skilled talent
How much should I pay or earn?
Salaries for hard-to-staff positions, such as lawyers and paralegals, are increasing the most. Professionals in these roles might be willing to quit to secure a raise. This puts corporate legal departments, which generally can’t match the big paychecks law firms can offer, at a hiring disadvantage. Offering remote or hybrid work options can help corporate teams sway candidates. of legal professionals say remote work options are among the perks they value most. of legal professionals say remote work options are among the perks they value most.
Advanced practice area expertiseCompliance and risk managementContract managementData analyticsAdvanced practice area expertiseCompliance and risk managementContract managementData analytics
Legal organizations are turning to AI to enhance efficiency and accelerate key tasks such as research. Some law firms are building their own proprietary generative AI models rather than using ChatGPT or similar platforms. These projects create more demand for professionals with advanced technology skills.of legal managers are recruiting for different skills due to advancements in AI and automation. of legal managers are recruiting for different skills due to advancements in AI and automation. are bringing in contract talent or consultants to assist with AI-related projects. are bringing in contract talent or consultants to assist with AI-related projects.
The hottest legal jobs, practice areas and industries
Upskilling employeesPaying for professional certificationsReskilling employees for new rolesUsing managed servicesUpskilling employeesPaying for professional certificationsReskilling employees for new rolesUsing managed services
The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary ranges. Learn more about our methodology.The salaries listed in the salary tables represent starting compensation only, meaning pay for someone new to a company in the position listed. Company size, industry and the availability of remote work options can influence salaries. Our estimates do not include bonuses, benefits or perks. We report salaries in percentiles and ranges, recognizing that professionals join companies at varied experience levels.Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (1-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across the United States.
